Gardening for Wellness & Joy: White Strawberries

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🌱 Before you plant another single tree, there’s one step that can save you years of frustration: observation.
In this Mastering the Garden episode of White Strawberries, I walk you through how to understand your land before you grow — from mapping shade and wind to testing soil, water movement, and frost patterns.
Using real examples (including why my mum’s feijoas fruit weeks before mine just 12 minutes away), we explore how small environmental differences shape what thrives — and what struggles.
This episode is your practical guide to working with your land instead of against it, using simple, often free tests to build a resilient, abundant garden.
🌿 If you’ve ever felt like you don’t have a “green thumb,” this might be the missing piece.
🌱 What You’ll Discover
 How to map shade across seasons and use it to your advantage 
 What wind patterns reveal about plant placement and disease risk 
 How frost moves through your land — and how to work with it 
 Simple ways to observe water flow, drainage, and waterlogging
 Easy at-home soil tests (including structure and moisture checks) 
 How weeds can give clues about your soil conditions 
 Why climate zones (like USDA) are helpful — but limited 

🔗 References & Resources Mentioned
 Permaculture Research Soil Test Handbook — by Chris Trump & collaborators 
 iNaturalist (plant identification app) 
 Seek by iNaturalist (child-friendly version) 

🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes Referred to
 How I Saved My Garden from Summer Storms, Flooding and Wind (Episode 37). Look it up on your platform 🤗
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Should we be using pesticides on our fruit trees? And if not… what do we do instead?
In this episode of White Strawberries, I’m joined by Matthew Priestley, whose work and thinking around ecological systems challenges and encourages us to rethink how we respond to pests in our orchards🌿
We explore what’s really going on when pests and disease show up, and why reaching for sprays might be missing the bigger picture. From airflow (including opening up a “wind tunnel”) to soil health, tree nutrition, and system design, this conversation is all about working with your ecosystem instead of against it.
If you’re growing fruit trees and wondering how to manage pests without pesticides, this episode offers a practical, grounded alternative rooted in science, observation, resilience, and long-term thinking.
 What You’ll Discover
 Should you use pesticides on fruit trees—or avoid them altogether? 
 What pests and disease are actually telling you 
 How airflow and pruning reduce pressure naturally for some fruit trees
 Why soil health and tree nutrition are foundational 
 How systems evolve as your trees grow and mature 
 What to do instead of spraying (organic and non organic pesticides)

Find Matthew on the BrotherWood site here and on Socials here.

Some of Matthew's favourite resources:
Products he mentioned (He has no affiliation with these):
Hortitech Foliar Protect
Hydrolysed Fish
Wood Vinegar

Book recommendations: 
Michael Phillips, The Holistic Orchard
Nicole Masters, For The Love of Soil

Education/Inspiration:
Permadynamics, permaculture based training, PDCs and short courses
Elaine Ingham - Soil food web
Matt powers - Regerating soil
Paul Stamets - Fungi

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love your support:
⭐ Jump into your podcast app and leave a rating & review
 💌 Send me a question or share your thoughts
 🌱 Tell me what’s happening in your garden right now

🔗 Connect with Me
📍 Website: whitestrawberriespodcast.com
 📸 Instagram: @whitestrawberriespodcast

May your strawberries be white and your soil full of carbon 🌱

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Discover how to design a garden that produces fruit all year long using the power of guilds. In this episode of White Strawberries, I dive into the concept of plant guilds—groups of plants, animals, and insects that support one another—and how they can transform your orchard or food forest into a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem.
Learn why harvest gaps happen, even in productive gardens, and how understanding guild relationships ensures consistent yields, healthier plants, and richer soil. From observing microclimates to layering fruit trees with companion plants, this episode is packed with practical strategies for gardeners who want abundance without the stress.

What You’ll Discover / Key Points:
 Why gardens often have unintentional harvest gaps and how guilds solve this problem 
 The role of companion planting and supportive guild members in fruit production 
 Practical steps for designing a guild-based orchard or food forest 
 How observation and seasonal rhythms guide planting decisions 
 Ways to enhance soil fertility, plant health, and biodiversity through guilds 
References & Links:
📄🌳Fruit Trees Year- Round Free Resources.
 Previous White Strawberries episodes you might enjoy: Mediterranean Guild Gardening: Figs, Grapes, Olives & Companions | Mastering the Garden 

Permaculture: Explained | With Dr. Sez the Vet 

White Strawberries: How They Inspired This Podcast | Sparking Joy –

Subtropical and Topicals in a Cold Climate | With Steve Fawcett from Tropo

🌱 Keywords: fruit guilds, perennial gardening, year-round harvest, companion planting, food forest

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I'm uploading this episode for a second time because it is mushroomy gold!!

In this earthy and enthusiastic episode, I chat with Sarah Williams—permaculture gardener, mushroom grower, and the green-fingered soul behind Sarah’s Green Acres—about growing wine cap mushrooms, also known as burgundy mushrooms or garden giants.
We explore:
How to grow them in a food forest or permaculture orchard
Why yours might not be fruiting yet (ahem, speaking from experience!)
Cooking, freezing, and eating them—especially if you're cutting back on meat
Why they’re hard to find in shops, and why that's exactly why we should grow them
Their role in nutrient cycling, soil health, and lazy gardening magic
Plus, we spiral delightfully into tangents about refractometers, bitter greens, the spray-heavy brassica world, and why we sometimes avoid testing our soil (just in case it bursts our bubble).
If you’ve ever wanted to grow something that tastes amazing, supports your soil, and you can’t find at the supermarket—this episode is for you.
✨ Want us to dive deeper into mushrooms, logs, bags, or bitterness? Let me know!
 📸 Find me @whitestrawberriespodcast
 🌱 Follow Sarah on Instagram at @sarahsgreenacres
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Autumn is a busy, beautiful season in the garden, and what you plant now will feed you all winter. In this episode of White Strawberries, I share practical tips for creating a winter garden that thrives in a temperate climate. 
🥕🌸
Whether you’re gardening for wellness, flavor, or sustainability, this episode gives you actionable ideas to set your winter garden up for success.
What You’ll Discover:
The two essential rules for a successful winter garden: timing and plant hardiness
How to plan succession planting for continuous harvest over winter
Nitrogen-fixing crops that enrich the soil while feeding you
Which perennials and annuals are best for temperate winter climates
Tips for saving seeds to build a resilient, microclimate-friendly garden
Flowers and crops that bring both joy and nutrition this season
References & Links:
Nitrogen 101: Transforms Your Garden | Mastering the Garden
More Perennials, Less Hustle | Sparking Joy

🌱 Keywords: autumn gardening, winter harvest, succession planting, nitrogen-fixing crops, perennials

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